City Break 10 - 13 May

After our longish cruise, we were happy to be moored with good Internet signal to - virtually - join a family funeral online, and then have a quietly reflective afternoon. 

Saturday dawned with Andrew craving doughnuts so off we went in seach of the Tim Horton Doughnut shop.  In the interim, doughnuts not being on my menu, I sussed out a likely looking lunch stop. To work up an appetite,  we marched off to the markets the other side of the Bullring. A beautiful stall of fresh herbs and spices completely ensnared me. And then back for lunch, via a pro Palestinian march, to Franco Manca, where they make their own sourdough bases.
A tomato base that actually tastes of real tomato? Madness!
From there, culture.
This was an exhibition about the Pre Raphaelites, poster boy Dante Gabriel Rosetti, at the end of the 19th century. There was an interesting subtext about the models used, who, it turns out, were also artists and makers in their own right, a narrative that had been lost. It was also highlighting the Birmingham School of Arts and Crafts, which at the same period had a huge increase in female students and also lecturers.
And then back to the boat, past a tide of excited youngsters in fancy dress, ready for Eurovision.
Next morning, Andrew was up and about for a train back home (Repair Café) and Blackpool (visit to mum). However, he had barely arrived when the Cancelled messages started..it took him 2 hours to get under way! Meanwhile, I went walkabout around town
And then to a modern art gallery, Ikon, which boasts a singing lift! Actually,  a choir singing up the scale starting with the basses and heading up,  and up, and up to the top sops. A gripping exhibit by Jesse Jones, called Mirror Martyr Mirror Moon, which I'm  still processing, I think.
From there, evensong, at the third smallest cathedral in England. Smaller than St Asaph!
A modest two manual organ,  but able to stand up to the rather fine choir (Leighton in D, Battens 4th.. Nice. It has stained glass only at the East and West ends, by a familiar name from yesterday's exhibition,  Edmund Burke-Jones, whose work was already familiar to me from the church at Hawarden. Next door to Gladstones Library, and both worth a visit if you're in the area.
Monday, and Boat Jobs. Time to mop the solar panels, and sand down the taffrail,
wash it, take the rubbish for a walkabout past the Sealife Centre (surreal!) to the bins, then paint on the first layer of teak oil,
to be reapplied at various times through the season. Looks a lot better already. Next, I've been thinking about Andrew's request for Somewhere, applied to the wall, to store his specs overnight.
I have a Plan!
Andrew was back home in good time in the evening,  just ahead of the rain, and shattered from all his travelling. Back off up the cut tomorrow so straight to bed.

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